TIFTON — Sgt. Chad Turner and his family got to see the progress on their house as well as notes of welcome, encouragement and thanks written on the studs by Tifton residents on Friday.

The Turner family is the recipients of a custom built home courtesy of Operation Finally Home, which has partnered with Structures by Chris Brooks to build the home.

OFH invited the community to leave notes on the structure before the drywall was installed, so that the family would “feel the love each time they walk into their new home.”

The notes were written on each wall of the house. Some were short, some long, but each one was read by the Turners on Friday.

“Speechless,” was how Turner described his reaction to seeing the house and reading the messages.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be this big and to have everything they’re doing in it,” he said. “I’m amazed.”

“Now I have a place that I can call home for my wife and son, especially my son,” he said, referring to his wife, Jennifer, and their son, Jason.

The Turners, along with Chad’s service dog Buddy, went into each room reading the messages and taking pictures of their favorites.

Chad and Jennifer’s favorite messages are above the door leading to his office, which has been designed to be a quiet space for him.

One of them says, “Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, worship God. Quiet moments, seek God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, trust God.” The other side reads, “May you find comfort and peace within these walls. Be blessed.”

“Having all these letters of love showing people care, took time out of their day to come write letters, having all this love around you helps you get up every morning,” Chad said.

“Seeing the house is very exciting, and it makes it feel real,” Jennifer said.

Previously, they have only seen the plans, but on Friday they were able to walk through the structure and see the layout.

They have been renting for years, said Jennifer, and it has been getting harder and harder to find a place that will meet their needs, especially with the family pet and Buddy the service dog.

“It’s been really hard, and then this came up and it was like an answered prayer,” she said.

Currently the family lives in a small town in north Georgia. They are planning on moving to Tifton as soon as the house is completed, and have already packed up most of their belongings in anticipation of the move.

Jennifer is hopeful they will be in before school starts to make the transition easier for Jason, who is autistic.

“Having a community that is there and shows their support is an awesome thing,” Turner said.

He said that it means a lot to have the community show their appreciation for his service. “It’s just something I did for my country. I wasn’t expecting to get anything for it.”

He said he wasn’t used to sitting back and letting others do things for him. “It’s weird and it’s hard,” he said. “But God’s blessed me and I have to just take His grace and let Him do His thing.

“It’s a blessing,” he said. “I can focus on my family and taking care of them and helping myself heal.”

He said that the whole city of Tifton really has made him and his family feel welcome.

“It’s amazing, and I don’t know how to say thank you,” he said. “How do you repay someone doing this for you?”